Broach



Nov- 13, 1951 R. T. BESS ET AL BROACH Filed June 26, 1948 IN VEN TORS. ROLAND T. BESS,AN D

, ARCHIE FIG.

ATTORNEY.

FIG. 4.

Patented Nov. 13, 1951 OFFICE- BROACH Roland 'r. Bess and Archie I. Bess, Salt Lake City, Utah Application June 26, 1948, Serial No. 35,436

Claims. (01. 29-951) The present invention relates to an improved means for cutting or slotting sheet materials, and more particularly for cutting tapered notches in the edges of preferably a plurality of sheet like articles, such as cards, sheets of paper, cardboard, fiber, and the like. The invention relates especially to a cutting device of the broaching type for slotting or notching index cards, for filing purposes, and the like, but it has other applications and it will be understood that other uses are contemplated.

The use of notched cards for mechanical filing, sorting tabulating, indexing, and the like, has expanded rapidly in recent years, and the provision of the indexing or control notches and slots, has become an important limiting factor in systems of this character. In one system which has come into wide general use, the required notches have conventionally been prepared by hand punches, operating on single cards, with consequent inefficiency and expense which have made such card systems unsuitable for many types of operations. Considerable difiiculty has been encountered in obtaining clean and accurate slots or notches in sheets of paper, cards, and the like, and particularly in the slottingor notching of record and index cards such asare used in filing systems, and the like, wherein the character and/ or location of the notches or slots determines classification, filing, etc., of the article. It is not particularly difficult to cut single cards'but it has been found very difficult It is another object of the present invention to secure clean, smooth cuts in cards of paper and other fibrous stock, and analogous articles,

by designing an efficient cutting or slotting apparatus which is sufficiently sturdy for heavy duty and for cutting or slotting (or notching) a, stack of cards at a single operation, and at the same time is suitable for making a clean smooth cut.

Still another object be operated with a minimum of power and which,

at the same time, is self-cleaning and not subject to'stoppage and damageto stock by reason of accumulations'of fiber, lint, and the like, as

is to design a cutting apparatus which is efficient in operation and may commonly occurs in apparatus for paper cutting, punching, notching, and the like.

Other and further objects are to provide an efiicient cutting or punching apparatus, by proper provision of rake, clearance, and. cutting angle of the cutting or punching elements, and also by the arrangement of successively deeper and 'nai-' rower cutting elements in series, with special" provision of waste openings for the removal or accumulations of lint and the like between s'uccessive of said elements in said series. '1

Additional ob ects will become apparent as this description proceeds and accordingly ref-f, erence will next be made to the accompanying drawings wherein: 4

Fig. 1 is a vertical side elevational view show ing the principal cutting die of the present inven Fig. 4 is a plan view of the die assembly' 'of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1, showing a shallow and broad cutting or slotting element of the male die; V

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section view taken substantially along the line 6--6 of Fig. 1, showing a narrow deep cutting or slotting element;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary elevation of one half" of the male die assembly, showing in somewhat exaggerated extent the angle of inclination of the cutting elements and their relationship to the clearance slots for waste;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary and somewhat diagram; matic view showing the arrangement of the male and female cutting dies with respect to astack of sheets in a card slotting operation; and

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary plan view of a notched card element, typical of the work performed by the apparatus and method of the present inven-" tion.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, there is shown a slotting or notching die assembly consisting of the principal or male die element indicated generally at H and the cooperating female die element indicated generally at [3. As herein shown the female die is a single piece of suitable" die material, such as hardened steel, which is adapted to be firmly mounted in an appropriatejf recess, such as that shown at l5, Fig.8, in aj solid frame or table member l1, shown only The principal or male die I l, as herein shown,

is preferably made in two halves 2!, 23, identical in every respect except that they are conjugate, that is one is of right hand configuration and the other is of left hand configuration. If desired, this die may be made in a single piece,-but for its economical manufacture it is simpler to make it in two parts. The two parts .are firmly secured together by suitable means, such as screws 25, or rivets may be employed if desired.

For nearly all practical purposes, the male die remains assembled as a unit, exceptwhenit might be desirable or necessary to take-the two halves.

apart for repair or cleaning.

Referring again to Fig. '4 (see also-Fig. 9) 1t willbe noted that at'its greatest depth the cutting element and the notch to be formedare-of tapered form, resembling a blunt wedge. Obviously, other shapes might be used. The male die is formed with a series of cutting edges which in the present instance, as shown in Figsrl and 3, are progressivelynarrower and deeper until the last cutter, as seen near the top of these fi ures, projects'tothe-full-final depth of the notch to be formed. Cutters ofthis general form are known for cutting teeth in metal gears and the like, but the novelty of the present invention resides in the particular arrangement of the cutters,"secondary cutters, and provision madefor removing waste lint and fiber, as will be described hereinafter.

The first or lowermost cutting element 3| as seen in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, is a shallow cutter (having a depth for example, of the order of about t; inch) with a cutting edge substantially of-the widthof the base of the slot to be cut (Fig. 9). Thefront or forward edge (to the right in Fig. 1) may be at right angles to the axis of the tool H, i; e. the edge may be horizontal, but-it is preferably arranged at a slight angle for easier cutting. The cutting element 33 corresponds in section to the first cutter 3|, but projects further, toapproximately twice the depth of cutter 3!. The next cutting elements, shown at 35, 31, are

similar to element 33 but project still deeper,

as is common with breaching tools. The fifth cutter 39 projects far enough that its side edges have substantial dimensions and therefore, in

the present embodiment, this cutting element is provided with a secondary cleaning cutter for trimming fiber which was not cut cleanly in the passage of the forward edges of cutting element 39. The secondary cutter, which is an important feature of this invention, as indicated in Figs. 1, 3 and 8, and is formed by cutting a V-shaped groove 39A of an apex angle of about 45 to 90, preferably about 60, in such a manner as to present a square or slightly acute cutting or trimmingedge 393 (Fi 8). v

In cutting fibrous material such as cardboard or paper, there is always a tendency to tear slightly, leaving projecting fibers behind the cutting edge of each element 3|, 33, 35, 3! and so on. Thus, even though the edge such as 3! is quite sharp, there will usually be some slightly torn fiber which is not cut perfectly clean. The secondary cutting edge 39B trims these projecting uncut fibers away before the approach of the next succeeding cutting element 4| which extends deeper into the stock being processed but it does not extend farther laterally than the element 39.

The first two or three cutters, such as 3| and 33,

ordinarily do not project far enough to have side cutting edges of sufficient depth torequire the secondary cutters, but it will be obvious that such might be provided if desired.

'The next succeeding cutter 4| is similarly provided with a secondary side trimming or cleaning cutter 4|B, formed by providing a V-notch or groove MA similar to groove 39A in the side of element 4|. The notches such as 39A and A are, preferablyformed about the middle of the side face of each of the tooth-like cutting elements'39, ll, etc. These auxiliary or secondary cutting elements may also be provided, if desired,

across the forward-face of-the-tooth'or cutting element-3l, butthey are not particularly essential across the forward face because each successive cutter projects farther into -the stock-and trims-away any uncut fiber that-might be left bythe preceding element. It is'understood of course that the side edges-of all of the-cutters are in vertical alignmentor in a-common'vertical plane, or substantiallyso. I

The succeeding cutting teeth or elements43, 45, etc. extend progressively deeper and areprovided with the secondarygrooves 43A, 45A, etc., to'provide corresponding cutting edges-433,453, etc. .As shown in Fig.1, the advance edges (lower surfacesas'seen in this figure) of successive cutting elements are disposed substantially at right angles, but preferably not exactly at right angles to the travel of the tool a slight rake angle being provided. In Fig. -7, the rake angle is shown somewhat exaggerated to make this feature clear. The grooves .39A,-:4|A,-43A, and so on, are-parallel or substantially parallel to theadvance side cutting elements of the cutters-39, 4|, 43, etc, as shown in Fig. 1.

While the secondary orcleaning cutters 393,

MB, 433, and so on are ordinarily preferred and are frequently essential they may be dispensed with for certain types ofother-stock to becuta Thus, in front of the firstcutterfil, an opening. 61 is formed, preferably witha width equal or substantially equal tothat of theforwardedge of thatparticular element. In advance of-the second. element 33 is a'similar opening.63,-of..a width about equal to thatof cutter -33.and;likewise an opening 55 isin'advance of .cuttingelement 35, an openingB! in frontof cutter ,31,

opening 69 in front of cutter. 3.9,, and so on. .Some

of the cutting elementsare not shown ,withrefen, ence characters. The last cutting elementjl, Figs. 1 and 3, is provided with an opening 8l immediately in advance thereof and since, this out: ter is narrowest of all. at its advance edga in the b en o h i t qn. sh wninltb drawings, the opening 8| is the narrowestof all the ,openings, as is evident in Figs. a 3, an d. 6 Because the die H is deepest (thickest from front to rear) at the last cutting element, the opening 8| extends for a greater distance than any of the others. Preferably, and as shown in Fig. 1, a clearance spaceis provided in advance of the forward portion of each cutter element, and these clearance spaces, indicated respectively at 62, 64, 66, etc., beginning at the bottom, up to and including the upper space 82 are aligned with and about equal in vertical extent with the openings 6|, 63, 65, etc., up to 8| with which they directly connect. In the construction shown, all the clearance spaces 62, 6|, etc., are of substantially equal depth rearwardly from the adjacent cutting edge. This depth may be varied considerably but as shown it is of the order of about two, or three, or four times the distance which each cutting element extends beyond the previous cutting element in the series. One purpose of these clearance spaces is to provide a receptacle for out particles and also to provide accumulating pockets for dust, lint, and other waste, as will be more fully explained.

In Figs. and 6 there are shown sectional views which illustrate clearly the variations in cutting depth and dimension of the clearance openings. In Fig. 5 one of the first waste ejection openings such as 63 is shown, the section being taken between the first and second cutter elements 3| and 33. It will be noted, as mentioned above, that the opening 63 is about as wide as the base 9| of the notch, Fig. 9, corresponding to the width of the forward cutting edge of the second cutting element 33. By contrast, the opening 8| adjacent the last cutter 5| (Fig. 1) is shown in Fig. 6 as being long but relatively narrow, the width being approximately equal to that of the apex 92 of the notch, Fig. 9. Intermediate openings of course are of intermediate width and length, becoming longer and narrower from bottom to top, as seen in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

In Fig. 7 there is shown a fragment of one half of the two part male die of Figs. 1 to 3, illustrating how. the openings such as 8| may be formed by machining transverse grooves in each half before assembling. As previously indicated, the angle of rake indicated in this figure is shown somewhat exaggerated beyond that which would normally be used, although this angle may be varied considerably.

By machining the two halves of the die I I before assembly, so that the cutter elements and the grooves which form waste ejection openings may match accurately, the die may be produced economically. The openings 6|, 63, etc., could of course be drilled and broached out, or formed in any other suitable manner, in case it is preferred to make the male die ll of a single piece of material, but this is not usually considered necessary.

It will be understood that air or other fiuid may be forced through the openings 6|, 63, etc., in either direction, to draw the waste, lint, etc., through the openings, or to blow it away from the die, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Fig. 8 shows how the male die ll may be used for notching a stack of cards or the like. The cards C may be positioned upon a suitable support such as table member IT, by any suitable positioning means (not shown) so that they are in vertical alignment on all sides and in such position that the portion to be punched or slotted lies directly over the opening |3A of the complementary die I3 (Fig. 4). With the cards held firmly in this position, the broaching tool II de- .any fibers at the edges of the slot as the slot in each card becomes progressively deeper.

As the breaching die descends some small fibers maynot be carried down with it and may tend to slide upwardly, relatively to the vertical face of each cutting element. This is particularly true after the cutting edges become slightly dull. The recesses or pockets 62, 64, 66, etc., in front of each advancing cutting element provide spaces into which the cut waste as well as lint or fiber waste may accumulate. Air evacuating means (not shown) may be connected to a suitable connection, such as a. perforated block (not shown) in sliding contact with the rear edge of die |l, so as to apply suction to each of the waste openings 6|, 63, 65, and so on up to opening 8|. Obviously, this will remove the waste and other fiber, etc., from the pockets 62, 64, etc., and prevent clogging. Alternatively, if desired, compressed air or other fluid may be applied to the openings, as by means of a perforated block .or

connection such as suggested above. Such block should be adjusted to provide a smooth relatively air tight fit against the back edge of the die II. If compressed air rather than suction is used, it should be applied at a point in the vertical movement of the die H where the waste, including dust and lint, can be ejected forwardly (to the right as viewed in Fig. 1) either well above the cards or like, 0, or below the table member ll. A suitable receptacle (not shown) may be provided for receiving the waste fiber. Ordinarily the amount of waste removed on each stroke is very small, and most of it would drop out of the die, but it is preferable to remove it during each cycle, either on the cutting stroke or the return, or both. However, if desired, means may be provided for cleaning the die only periodically, as will be evident to those skilled in the art.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the invention may be modified in various respects. In the embodiment shown .in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the male die II has some 22 cutting elements. This number has been found quite satisfactory in practice but it is obvious that it may be varied widely. As indicated above, it is usually not necessary to provide all of the successive cutting elements such as 3|, 33, 35, 31, 39, etc., with the secondary side grooves and cleaning cutter elements 39B, MB, 43B, and so on. These may be omitted altogether for certain types of work but it is ordinarily desirable to have at least some of them, particularly on the sides of the intermediate cutters, to clean the uncut fibers from the sides of the slots. This enables the die II to operate smoothly and with less power than would be required otherwise. The slight inclination of all cutting elements from a horizontal plane is also advantageous because it saves power.

While the above description has been based on a particular device for forming a particular kind of tapered notches in cards, it is apparent that the particular shape of the notch or a particular type of material to be punched are not limiting features of the invention. Various notches and slots may be formed in various materials, and the device may be used for cutting off stock, cutting off corners, and for various analogous purposes as will be understood by those skilled in newness the art. Othenarrangements, modifications: and

adaptations willbuggest themselves .to those skilled in the artandit i'sintendedthat those which fall within the spirit of this invention shall form a part ofthisinvention. Hence'the invention and its useareinot limited otherwiseithan as required by the scope wof the appended-claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A bro'aching device iornotching'papercards and the like, comprising a unitarybodystructure equipped with a seriesof slots, eachslot bein slightly narrowerthan its predecessor, eachslot being adjacent a .broaching cutter ,of progressively greater depth :and progressively narrower forward cutting edge, each of saidslotsservingas a Waste ejecting opening adjacent each cutter,

the width of each of'saidxopenings corresponding approximately tothe :width .of the, respective forward cutting edge.

2..A breaching-device for ;cutting.paper stock and the like, comprising a pair of body members assembled into a unitary "body .and .a series .of tapered cutters of progressively deeperandznarrower arrangement formed .unitar with .said

body, said cutters, being designedito broach .a tapered notch into :a stack of material to be cut, thelateral cutting edges ofsuccessive-cutters being arranged inccmmon converging planes, successive lateral cutting edges .being separated by grooves out into said planes .to providesecondary cutting elements, the progressively deeper cutting edgesbeing progressively narrower across their forward edgesyan'd a waste ejection opening adjacent each cutter, extending 'from the forward cuttingedge rearwardly through the body of said device and of 'transversewidth substantially equal to the width of theadjacentiforwa'rd cutting edge.

3. A breaching cutter for forming itapered notches in materiaLcomprlsing two opposed body members secured together as a unitary body structure, each of said;members being provided with a series of-matc-he'd cutters ofsprogressively deeper andnar'rower configuration at :forward cutting edges, and a groove adjacent each cutting element so arranged that when the .said members are assembled the corresponding grooves in said members join to form a waste ejection passage through said structure, adjacent 'each cutte'riand in position to. remove wastetcut there- 8 by, said .passagesibeing vprogressively narrower transversely correspondingly to said series of cutters.

4. A broaching :device of. the character .described, comprisingla cutterarranged for. relative movement with .respect to material to ..be broached, said cutter being provided with aseries of blades each disposed transversely to the direction of said relative. movement, successive blades of said .series .being. progressively. narrower and deeper so as to'form progressively a'tapered slot, a waste discharge opening between each successive pair of saidblades said openings each being of a widthsubstantially equal to. that of the blade following, theforward cutting edge of eachblade element having acutting angle of slightlyless than to provide anadvance rake, eachcf said elements having .also lateral cutting elements with a. cutting angle of less than 90,.and secondarylateral trimming cutting edgesbetween successive blade elements.

5..In a device of the character described for punching fibrous material, a two part ,body of symmetrical memberssecured rigidly to form a unitarystructure, a series .of broachingcutters of progressivelynarrower and deeper section, a waste pocket in advance of each cutter, a waste ejection of width greater than the preceding cutter and substantially equal to the immediately following cutter opening connected to each pocket, and a V-grocve'in the side of ,at least a plurality of said cutters arranged so, as .toprovide an acute angled cleaning cutting edge for removing fiber leftbysaid cutters.

ROLAND T. BESS, ARCHIE I. BESS.

REFERENQES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 401,987 Waterman Apr. 23, 18.89 1,121,126 Oakley Dec. 15, 1914 1,272,841 Oakley Julyl6, 1918 1,370,837 Perkins et a1. Mar. 8, 1921 2,008,208 Hart 1. 1 July 16,.1935 2,091,736 La Pointe Aug. 31,193? 2,292,900 Schmidt Aug..,1l, 1942 

